Longitudinal analysis of lactate threshold in male and female master athletes.

Purpose: The lack of relationship between lactate threshold (LT) and running performance in older runners, and the increase in LT with age, has not been previously studied in a longitudinal design. We evaluated the cross-sectional and longitudinal changes in LT with age and compared the changes in LT with changes in performance variables.

Methods: Fifty-one male and 23 female runners (39-77 yr) performed two graded treadmill exercise tests with minute-by-minute venous blood lactate analysis, separated by 5.